OUR VIEW

Heed court ruling on Sunshine Law

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 15, 2013

The Hawaii Supreme Court, in a ruling that was thorough and reasoned, opted against invalidating a Maui zoning decision but ultimately sent a message that county and state officials should heed: The Sunshine Law means that the public must have access to government when key decisions are made.
According to the Office of Information Practices, the state agency that administers the Sunshine Law, the high court hadn't ruled since 1993 on the law, so this decision is being touted by some as a "watershed" ruling. At the very least, it provides some direction on how government should conduct its business openly rather than allowing for only the minimum public input.

The Hawaii Supreme Court, in a ruling that was thorough and reasoned, opted against invalidating a Maui zoning decision but ultimately sent a message that county and state officials should heed: The Sunshine Law means that the public must have access to government when key decisions are made.

According to the Office of Information Practices, the state agency that administers the Sunshine Law, the high court hadn't ruled since 1993 on the law, so this decision is being touted by some as a "watershed" ruling. At the very least, it provides some direction on how government should conduct its business openly rather than allowing for only the minimum public input. Login for more...